1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for preparing a curd mass by draining a mixture of whey and curds in an upright column consisting of a permeable sleeve of circular or rectangular cross-section, one or more sleeves being surrounded, with some clearance, by a tube mounted on a worktable, and further comprising means at one end of the sleeve, above or under the worktable, for feeding the mixture of whey and curds, and means at the other end of the sleeve, under or above the worktable, for receiving and discharging a drained and extruded curd mass, the free space between the sleeve or sleeves and the tube being subdivided into various compartments, lying one above the other, with the aid of sealing dividers, while each compartment is provided with inlet and outlet connections for whey or cleaning liquid.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various constructions of an apparatus of this kind are known, and it is possible to distinguish a system having an inlet for the curds and whey mixture at the top end of the permeable sleeve, and a system in which this inlet is situated at the bottom end of the sleeve. In each of these known arrangements the sleeves must from time to time be removed from the machine for inspection and cleaning purposes, or for replacement. Since each sleeve usually has a length of at least 2 meters, and sometimes even 3 to 3.5 meters, the height of the factory roof must be determined accordingly, since otherwise the removal of the sleeves would give rise to complications.